A man reportedly lost more than $80,000 of his life savings earlier this year after falling victim to a sophisticated online scam that police say led him from his computer screen to a jewelry store, and ultimately, to a parking lot in Pottsville.
Now, police in Pottsville are looking for two New York men they believe perpetrated the scam.
According to affidavits filed in District Court, the fraud began on Feb. 16, 2024, when the victim received what appeared to be an email from PayPal. The message looked legitimate — it included PayPal’s logo, claimed there was an outstanding balance on his account, and provided a phone number and link for assistance.
When the victim clicked the link and called the number, he was connected to a man with a Middle Eastern accent who identified himself as “Mark Hughes.” During their conversation, the victim shared some personal information and his phone number. Hughes told him he’d look into the issue and call back.
Police say that at some point, the victim also downloaded a program called AnyDesk, a remote-access application that allows others to control a computer from another location.
The next day, Hughes contacted the victim again, claiming that $82,500 had been mistakenly deposited into the victim’s savings account. While remotely connected to the victim’s computer, “Hughes” showed what appeared to be a screenshot of the account showing a total balance of $165,500 — which included the supposed PayPal “deposit.”
“Hughes” then instructed the victim to return the money. The victim was told to go to the bank and withdraw the funds as a cashier’s check made out to Mullers Fine Jewelry in Hamburg. Believing he was returning someone else’s money, the victim obtained a cashier’s check for $82,500, but it was actually his own money.
Following directions from “Hughes”, the victim went to the jewelry store in Hamburg and purchased $82,500 worth of one-ounce gold bars.
Police say the scam didn’t end there. Hughes told the victim to deliver the gold to a location in Pottsville — the former Brok-Sel convenience store at Mauch Chunk St. and Claude A. Lord Blvd. The victim parked in front of the store as instructed.
After several minutes, a man later identified by police as Towhidul Islam, 25, of Elmhurst, New York, approached the victim’s vehicle. The victim handed over a box containing the gold bars, and the two parted ways. Investigators say Hughes stayed in contact with the victim throughout the day.
Surveillance footage from nearby Dunkin’ helped investigators piece together a timeline. Around 4:12 p.m., a white 2017 Toyota Camry with New York registration pulled into the former Brok-Sel lot. Three men were inside. The car soon moved to the Dunkin’ lot, where the driver, identified as Jahid Hasan, 26, also of Elmhurst, went inside to use the restroom. The front passenger stayed near the car, while the rear passenger – later identified as Islam – walked around the parking lot.
At 4:23 p.m., the victim arrived and parked in front of the store. Five minutes later, Islam crossed the street to the victim’s vehicle, spoke briefly, and then walked away. Moments later, the white Camry pulled out of the Dunkin’ Donuts lot and drove off in the same direction Islam had walked.
Investigators traced the car through a license plate reader in Tilden Township earlier that afternoon. The vehicle had been traveling north toward Pottsville and later south again, with the timing matching the movements seen on video.
By late July, police had linked the vehicle to Hasan, who told FBI agents he had rented the Camry in New York and was paid about $800 to $900 to drive to Pottsville. Hasan said he had made similar trips before, picking up “packages” for Islam, who was allegedly working under instructions from a contact in North Carolina.
Hasan told investigators that Islam showed him the gold bars on their drive back to New York. Police say Hasan was accompanied by Islam and another man — a known associate — who has since fled the country.
Warrants for the arrest of Hasan and Islam were signed by Magisterial District Judge James Reiley on Oct. 30. They’re wanted on felony charges of dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, theft, conspiracy to commit theft, receiving stolen property, and access device fraud.
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